Gas Grill Maintenance

Particularly when the weather is mild (and even sometimes when it’s not…), many of us are firing up our Weber gas grills almost every day of the week. And with all that action going on, it can be easy to forget some of the most important parts of grilling: cleaning and maintenance.

I know it sounds crazy, but I consider all my Weber grills to be part of the family. Needless to say, taking great care of them is high on my list of cooking priorities. You see, over time the performance of your grill can diminish if has not been maintained properly. Low temperatures, uneven heat, and food sticking to grates are all possible side effects of poor grill cleaning and conditioning. Luckily, a simple monthly maintenance plan is an easy and inexpensive way to keep your beloved Weber gas grills in tip-top shape.

Wipe the outside of the grill lid with a paper towel and cleaner (glass cleaner for porcelain-coated lids and stainless steel cleaner for stainless steel lids). If your grill is stainless steel, you’ll get the best results by buffing with the grain, not against, using a microfiber towel.

Clean side tables with a microfiber towel and stainless steel cleaner. Again, make sure to buff with the grain. If your tables are made of theromset plastic, use a mild dish detergent and warm water instead.

Cleaning a cook box may seem tricky, but it’s actually extremely simple and can have a big impact on the way your grill performs. When your grill is completely cool, carefully remove your cooking grates and Flavorizer bars. Then, using a stainless steel grill brush, brush all excess grease and debris from inside the cook box into the bottom tray. From here, it will be easy to discard.

It’s a good practice to burn off any food residue left on your grill by turning all your burners to high for 15 minutes before grilling. When your grill reaches these high temperatures, food debris will turn to ash, and will then be easy to brush off using a stainless steel bristle brush.

And that’s it. Pretty simple, really. Just follow these five steps and your grill will be cooking strong for many years to come.

What are your thoughts?
(121)

Ashley B

Hi, just wondering on your views of using a steam cleaner to clean in the inside of the cook box and drip tray and placing a bucket under the hole to collect the grease and water?
Thanks

08.27.14

Kevin Kolman

Hi Ashley,

Great question. With steam comes water and we want to try to keep as much moisture and debris out of the burner tubes as possible. That being said, it is best to clean the burner tubes with a Weber stainless steel bristle brush. For the cook box, a putty knife will work great when it comes to scraping out all of the built up debris and grease. Lastly, when doing your grill cleaning, be sure not to forget to change the drip pan. I hope that helps!

Happy Grilling!
-Kevin

07.12.14

William B

Hello Kevin!

I bought a Genesis E-310 natural gas a week ago and my main burner on the left takes forever to light. The middle and end come on in a flash but it seems like the main burner takes too long to start. What should I do?

07.12.14

Kevin Kolman

Hi William,

Congratulations on your new Weber Genesis E-310. Please contact Weber Customer Service at 1-800-446-1071 and they will be able to assist you.

Happy Grilling!
-Kevin

07.02.14

Michael T

New summit E670 enamel black lid:
What are the best cleaning practices: stainless steel grates, flavorizer bars, inside and outside of the lid, should it be covered at all times when it's not in use?
I bought this grill for it's Function, Esthetics, and Durability, So I am very interested in maintaining all of the three properties.
Can you please address these points as clearly as possible?

07.02.14

Kevin Kolman

Hi Michael,
Congratulations on the new Weber Summit E-670. The best way to maintain the components listed is as follows:
Stainless steel grates: Preheat the grill for 15 minutes on high and use a Weber Stainless steel grill brush to clean off any debris left on the grates. For a deep clean, use the Weber Grate Grill Cleaner to help bring the grates back to their original shine.
Flavorizer bars: Preheat the grill for 15 minutes to burn off any excess debris left on from prior cooking. For a deep clean, again use the Weber Grate Grill Cleaner. This should be done twice a year.
For the rest of the inside of your grill, use a stainless steel grill brush and the Weber Grate Grill Cleaner to keep your grill in top shape. For the outside of your grill, try the Weber Exterior Cleaner on the colored/painted portions and the Weber Stainless Steel Cleaner on all external stainless steel surfaces. Be sure that you buff with the grain on the stainless steel and not against it.

I hope this helps.
Happy Grilling!
-Kevin

05.16.14

Sarah H

Last year my husband and I bought a new Genesis E330 (natural gas) for our new home. Although we had to get used to the seemingly slower cook of natural gas, it worked like a charm all last year. When the first spring warm days came we brought the grill out, only to be disappointed. We can't get the grill above 250*. We followed all the how-tos on cleaning the burner tubes. Much to our disappointment, the grill remains cool. Any further suggestions?

05.15.14

Kevin Kolman

Hello,

It sounds like you need to contact Weber Customer Service. They can be reached at 1-800-446-1071. Natural gas is regulated from the house, so if it is not working correctly, it could be an issue with the natural gas line itself. I'd have that looked at and then give it another try. Let me know if you have any other concerns.

Happy Grilling!
-Kevin

10.08.13

John C

Hi Kevin,

I bought a new Spirit E310 back in May 2013. I've cleaned it thoroughly twice - the second time I noticed the porcelain enameled flavorizer bars are extremely rusty. I called customer surface, and they told me this surface rust is normal wear & tear. As long as there is no rust through or surface cracks, they told me this is OK. Really?!? They look terrible. How can I have my buddies over and show off my new grill when it looks like a rust bucket? I love my grill, but I'm disappointed in the appearance of the bars -I think Weber should replace them with stainless steel flavorizer bars. At the very least they should mention this in the owner's manual.

Thanks -- John

10.08.13

Kevin Kolman

Hi John,

First, congratulations on your new Weber Spirit E310. It is unfortunate to hear that the Flavorizer bars are rusting. This seems kind of odd because of how new your Weber grill is. Are you sure it is rust and not grease or smoke stains? This can happen over time especially when grilling often. One way to make sure the grill stays clean is to preheat it for at least 10-15 minutes each time you grill. This helps bring the grill up to temperature and also burn off excess residue from prior cooking. One of my first Weber grills had an orange/red color on the bars which I thought was rust until I came to find out it was grease and barbecue sauce. If it is a continual problem, please call our Customer Service back again. Keep me posted.

Happy Grilling!
-Kevin

08.31.13

rich s

Kevin,

I have a Weber Spirit E-310 from 05/07. Tonight I had the two outside burners on low and the middle burner off. I went outside about 45 minutes later and found the middle knob melted, and the ignitor will not work.

Can you tell me why this would happen? This seems very dangerous. What do you think?
Thanks

07.22.13

George C

Hi Kevin, I just purchased a Weber Genesis E-330 and a Weber 7519 Rotisserie. I only have 2 meat forks that come with this rotisserie and I would like to grill 2 chickens at the same time. If I put 1 fork on one end, slide the butt of chicken to that fork, then slide the other chicken on neck first so the 2 chicken necks face each other, will that balance them so I can slide the other meat fork on? In your opinion, do think that will balance and work to cook 2 chickens at once? Thanks, DoneGrilledIt from Largo, Florida.

07.20.13

Stephanie C

I have a grill that my husband got for a graduation present...12 years ago. Aside from cleaning the grilling surface, it has never been cleaned. Where do I start? What do I need to make sure I clean other than the parts I can see? How do you clean the inside of the grill? Help! We can't grill anymore because it catches on fire. :/
Thanks

07.08.13

Alex S

I have a Gensis silver that is several years old. It seems to be getting much hotter than it used to - over 600-650 on high - and 500 even on medium low. The flames seem more orange than they used to. Any recommendations on what needs to be cleaned/replaced?

07.06.13

Brenda S

Hi,
Three weeks ago we got our first gas grill. We went from grilling on a $65 charcoal grill to a Genesis S330. I love grilling, but just thinking about the cleaning, I tend to not use the grill as much as I'd like to. We called Customer Service about our first grill because the Flavorizer bars changed colors. Supposedly it is normal, but I just can't believe such an expensive unit would have bars turning colors and look horrible like rust. I was hoping they would change back after cooling down, but nothing. The weird thing is that two of the bars remain "ok" and I have used all the stations except for the Sear Station. I need a better explanation on why the bars look so bad and if they stay that way. Customer Service advised not to clean them but instead wipe them with a towel with no water or chemicals. Is this correct?

I clean the entire unit after each grill because I want to keep it looking like new. It does take 3-4 hrs to do the whole clean. The worst part to clean are the grates. Again, I'm new on this type of grill, and I really want it to last forever. For the inside of the box I used a bit of soapy water and some "grill" specific spray for stainless steel units. Is that okay?